CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion soccer team produced two goals in the first 14 minutes of action and made a one-goal lead stand up against one of the top offenses in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), as the Golden Eagles stunned 23^rd-ranked Slippery Rock 2-1 at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Clarion (3-5-1, 3-5-1 PSAC West) defeated The Rock for the first time in program history in the process.
 
The opportunities were lopsided in favor of Slippery Rock, as the visitors peppered Golden Eagle goalkeeper Alex Velez with shots and maintained possession for most of the game. They mustered 15 shots on net while Clarion put only four on Rock keeper Emma Yoder. However, of those four, two found the back of the net. Meanwhile, on the other side of the pitch, Velez played a dazzling game, allowing just the opening tally before stoning the Rock with 14 saves, some of the highlight reel variety.
 
Kylee Cross moved into a tie for the program's single-season points record, posting a goal and an assist to reach 12 points on the year. The goal was her fourth tally of the season, and it came less than five minutes after The Rock opened the scoring in the game. Slippery Rock had the ball in their possession in their own end, but Cross jumped on an errant pass in the defensive end to get a clean shot on Yoder. Cross picked the lower righthand corner with her left foot, beating a diving Yoder to tie the game at 1-1.
 

SOC: Kylee Cross ties it up against Slippery Rock with a beauty in the first half! pic.twitter.com/rYGlZeWRhX

— Clarion Golden Eagles (@ClarionEagles) October 10, 2021

 
It was not three minutes later that Madison Spitko put the Golden Eagles ahead – for good, it would turn out – with her first goal of the season. Cross settled a pass from Kayla McNamara in the middle of the field and then dished to Spitko, who pushed her way past a defender and hit the same spot with her right foot to beat Yoder and make it 2-1.
 

SOC: It's McNamara > Cross > Spitko > Back of Net! pic.twitter.com/uPyasHpgnZ

— Clarion Golden Eagles (@ClarionEagles) October 10, 2021

 
The real work began after that point, as Slippery Rock furiously worked to tie the score. The second half of action was played almost exclusively in the Clarion defensive end as Nicole Brown, Savannah Houk and company did their best to keep the Rock off Velez. Velez played her own part with a number of dazzling saves, frustrating Slippery Rock as they were turned away time and again. The Rock put 11 shots on Velez in the second half alone, but she stifled them on all attempts in logging the victory.